Detachable hoisting boom for powered vehicle



June 4, 1963 A. o. swANsoN 3,092,259

DETACHABLE HOISTING BOOM FOR POWERED VEHICLE m, om m m h gk om k E Q 5 mm m N mm 2 J "Hal I ludl .II T S g NW f gT I I ow 0 m i a A A BY Mm! rwllL United States Patent 3,02,259 DETAQHABLE HGISTING BOOM FOR POWERED VEHICLE Alex 0. Swanson, 171 La Serena Ave., Alamo, Calif. Filed Aug. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 134,222. 3 Claims. (Cl. 212-35) The present invention relates to a boom, and pertains more particularly to a boom for mounting on a vertically movable and forwardly and rearwardly tiltable, power actuated element of a power driven vehicle.

A power operated hoisting boom mounted on a truck or tractor is a convenient and widely used mechanism for use on many types of construction work. But many contractors and other operators are of the opinion that although such a piece of equipment would be desirable at times, its high cost does not justify its purchase. There is general agreement however that a need for a boom mounting vehicle exists on many jobs if it could be obtained without the need for purchasing a specialized vehicle for the purpose.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved and simplified hoisting boom attachment for mounting on the power controlled bucket of a scoop loading vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a boom comprising a boom base structure which is adapted to be detachably secured to a vertically movable and tiltably mounted member of a power actuated vehicle, a boom arm being mounted for lateral swinging movement on said base structure, a power driven winch being mounted on the pivotally mounted boom arm, and a hoisting cable from the winch running over a sheave journaled on the free end of said boom arm.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a boom base member with means for detachably mounting said base member fixedly and securely on the outward side of a vertically movable and outwardly tiltable, power actuated element of a power driven vehicle, said base structure having a boom arm pivotally connected thereto for lateral swinging movement about an axis at right angles to the tilting axis of such power actuated vehicle element, power actuated means being provided for controlled lateral swinging movement of the boom arm relative to the fixed base member, a power actuated winch being mounted on the boom arm and operatively connected to the vehicle for power actuation thereby, said winch having a hoisting cable wound thereon and running over a sheave journaled in the free end of the boom arm.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved hoisting boom for mounting on a vertically movable and forwardly tiltable, power actuated member of a power driven vehicle.

These, and other objects and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing a hoisting boom embodying the present invention mounted on the bucket of a conventional type of scoop loader, hydraulic lines for boom operating mechanisms being indicated diagrammatically in dash-dot lines, the forward portion only of the scoop loader being illustrated, a shoring block, and a pair of storage blocks being shown in broken lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a similarly enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Briefly, the illustrated form of the invention comprises a hoisting boom A, a base portion of which is fixedly mounted in the open side of the bucket 11 of a conventional scoop loader B. A boom arm 12 is mounted for "ice lateral pivotal movement on the fixed boom base portion 10, and is controlled for lateral swinging movement thereon by a hydraulic cylinder 13. A hydraulic winch 14 is mounted on the boom arm 12, and a hoisting cable 15, wound on the winch, is carried over a sheave 17 journaled in the outer end of the boom arm 12.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the illustrated vehicle B upon which the boom A is removably mounted is a well known type of scoop loader, having front and rear support wheels, only the front wheels 18 of which are illustrated, the rear portion of the vehicle being broken away. A pair of bucket support arms 19 and 26 are provided on each side of the illustrated vehicle B, and are pivotally connected at 21 and 22, respectively, to the body 23 of the vehicle B. The bucket support arms 19 and 20 and their associated parts are alike on both sides of the vehicle.

A link 24 interconnects the forward end of the upper bucket support arm 19 and the lower bucket support arm 20. The forward end of the lower bucket support arm 19 is pivotally connected at 25 to a bracket 27 welded to the lower portion of the closed side of the bucket 11. A hydraulic cylinder 28 is pivotally connected at 29 to the upper arm 19, and its piston rod 30 is pivotally connected at 31 to a bracket 32 welded to the upper end of the closed side of the bucket 11. Extension and retraction of the piston rod 30 controls forward and rearward tilting movement of the bucket 11 about pivots 25 as an axis.

A powerful hydraulic cylinder 33 for selectively raising and lowering the bucket 11 is pivotally connected at 34 to the loader body 23, and its piston rod 35 is pivotally connected at 37 to the upper bucket arm 19. Usual hydraulic pump and control means (not shown) selectively supply pressurized hydraulic liquid from the hydraulic system of the vehicle B to either end of either of the bucket control cylinders 28 or 33 as required.

The illustrated, fixed, boom base structure 10 comprises an upper base member 38 and a lower base member 39, both of which preferably are of steel of suitable size and strength to withstand the stresses imposed thereon during use. The upper base member 38 is of generally V shape, and is detachably secured to the top plate 40 of the bucket 11 by bolts 41.

The portion of the bucket top plate 40 to which the upper boom base member 38 is secured is preferably reinforced by a steel strip 42, which may be riveted or welded in place. The lower fixed boom base member 39 is constructed in a manner generally similar to the upper member 38, with the exception that its sides are more widely divergent than those of the upper member 33, as shown in FIG. 2. The lower member 39 is detachably secured by bolts 43 to the bucket bottom plate 44. Since the bottom plates of such buckets necessarily have adequate strength to support the digging teeth 45 mounted thereon, it usually will not be necessary to provide any additional reinforcement therefor.

A journal boss 47 is provided in the center of the upper fixed base member 38, and a similar boss 48 is provided in the center of the lower fixed base member 39. A pivot pin 49, which prefer-ably is of steel rod of suitable strength and diameter, is fitted into openings provided therefor in these bosses 47 and 48.

The illustrated, laterally swinging boom arm 12 comprises two upper stringers 50 and two lower stringers 51, all of which may be of angle steel structural material. These four stringers are arranged to define a gradually tapering boom of rectangular cross sectional configuration, as illustrated. The boom is trussed in a conventional manner by encircling bands 54, which may be of angle steel structural material, and diagonal steel reinforcing bands 55, which are secured in place as by riveting or welding as shown for example in FIG. 1.

The inner end of the boom arm 12 comprises a pair of upper and lower end members 57 and 58, which are gen- 'base members 3 8 and 39. Collars 61 and 62, fitted onto the pivot pin 49 and secured thereto by set screws 63, bear against the inner sides of the bosses 59 and 60 to retarn the pivot pin 49 against axial displacement.

Controlled lateral swinging movement of the boom arm 12 relative to the boom base structure is accomplished by selective admission of pressurized hydraulic fluid from V the usual hydraulic system (not shown) of the vehicle B through hydraulic lines 52 and 53 to opposite ends of the hydraulic cylinder 13. Such selective feeding of the hydraulic fluid is accomplished by a control handle 66 mounted within reach of an operator of the vehicle B to control a conventional two-way or reversing hydraulic valve, not shown.

The hydraulic winch 14'is mounted on a plate 64, which is secured transversely across the top of the boom arm stringers 50. A preferably reversible hydraulic motor 65, which may be of the gear-reduction type, has driving connection with the drum;67 of the winch, and is controlled by the operation of a hydraulic valve handle 68 which operates a conventional two-way or reversing hydraulic valve, not shown, mounted on the vehicle B within reach of an operator thereof. Manipulation of the control handle 68 selectively admits pressurized hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic system (not shown) of the vehicle B to a selected one of the hydraulic tubes 69 and 70 to thereby control operation of the winch motor 65.

The hoisting cable 15 is carried from the winch drum 67, upon which a substantial portion thereof is wound, outwardly over the sheave 17 which 'is journaled on a pin 71' in the free end of the boom arm 12. A weight 72, such as a ball of iron clamped to the cable 15, is provided for preventing slack in the cable 15, and also for causing a hook 73 on the free end of the cable to grayitate downwardly when the cable is fed out from the Winch drum.

In using the illustrated form of the invention, and assuming that the boom A is mounted on the bucket 11 of the scoop loader B as illustrated in FIG. 1, upon hydraulically extending the piston rod 35 of the bucket elevating cylinder 33, the bucket support arms 19 and 26 are thereby swung upwardly about their pivots 21 and 22,

carrying the bucket 11 and boom A upwardly with it. The entire boom A also may be swung upwardly or downwardly about the pivotal connections 25 of the bucket with the lower support arm 20 by extending or retracting the piston rods 30 of the bucket tilting cylinders 28.

For lifting an extremely heavy load with the cable 15, the bucket 11 may be deposited on the ground 74, or may be supported at a desired height by a suitable shoring member, such" as, for example, a piece of timber 75 (FIG. 1), mounted upright on the ground 74 beneath the bucket 11. Such a support prevents an extremely heavy load on the boom A from tilting the entire vehicle B forwardly about the axles of its front wheels 18 :asan axis. The boom arm 12 may also be swung laterally about the axis provided by its pivot. pin 49 by extending or retracting the piston rod 77 of the boom arm control hydraulic cylinder 13. The hoisting cable 15 may be either reeled in or fed out as'required by selective operation of the hydraulic winch 14.

When it is desired to remove the boom A from the vehicle B it is preferred to provide meansfor storing the boom clear of the ground 74, and such means may comprise a few short lengths of timber, used as blocking, and spaced apart as indicated by the broken lines 78 and 79 (FIG. 1). The boom A is gently lowered onto this blocking by means of the bucket elevating and tilt control cylinders 33 and 28. The bolts 41 and 43 which secure the boom base structure 10 to the bucket 11 may then be removed, the hydraulic lines 52, 53, 69 and 70 disconnected, and the vehicle B backed clear of the boom A, whereupon the vehicle B is free for its normal use. 7

The boom A can be readily remounted on the vehicle B by reversing the foregoing procedure.

The invention provides a simple, flexible, readily maneuvered and inexpensive boom, which can be easily mounted on or removed from any bucket loader or other vehicle having a vertically movable and forwardly and rearwardly tiltable power. actuated member thereon, such as, for example, a bulldozer or pallet truck, merely by providing a fixed boom base structure 10 which is suitable for'mounting on the vertically movable and for- Wardly tilting member of the vehicle with which the boom is to be used. Variations in the boom base structure or the provision of adapters which may be required for mounting the boom on a specific vehicle of the general type set forth herein maybe easily provided by any engineer or designer familiar with machines of the general type set forth herein.

By reason of the fact that the boom base structure 10 may be either raised or lowered with the vehicle .element upon which it is mounted, and also may be tilted forwardly lor rearwardly with such element, the boom may be adjusted to reach over or under obstructions, and attains a flexibility of movement far beyond that of even most specialized boom mounting vehicles built for the purpose.

The winch actuated hoisting cable 1'5v provides for gentle and easy handling of heavy loads, and, except where a load is sufficiently heavy to tilt a supporting vehicle forwardly about its front axles in the absence of suitable shoring beneath the bucket 11, such a load can readily be transported for short distances, for example, as in moving a piece of non-mobile equipment from one place to another on a job.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood, however, that various changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire'to protect by Letters Patent is defined in ward portion of said boom base portion, a hydraulic cylinder operatively interconnecting the boom base member to the boom arm for lateral swinging movement of the boom arm relative to the boom base portion, a winch on the boom arm, hydraulic actuating means operatively connected to the winch, a hoisting cable wound on the winch and with a free end thereof running over the free end of the boom arm, means on the free end of the cable for hoisting engagement with objects to be manipulated by the boom, and hydraulic connections on said hydraulic cylinder and on said winch actuating means for operatively connecting said hydraulic cylinder and said hydraulic Winch actuating means to the hydraulic drive and control system of the scoop loader for controlled actuation thereby.

2. A boom for attaching to a scoop loader having a hydraulic drive and control system thereon, such scoop loader having also a vertically movable bucket arm thereon with a scoop bucket pivotally mounted on the outer end of the bucket arm for forward and rearward tilting movement about a horizontal aXis, the bucket arm and the bucket being operatively connected to the hydraulic drive and control system for selective actuation thereby; said boom comprising an upper base portion and a lower base portion, means for detachably securing the boom base portions to the upper and lower edges, respectively, of the open side of such scoop bucket for movement therewith, a pivot pin mounted in said boom base portions at right angles to the axis of tilting movement of the bucket, a boom arm pivoted for lateral swinging movement on said pivot pin, a hydraulic cylinder operatively interconnecting one of the boom base portions with the boom arm, hydraulic hose connections for operatively connecting the hydraulic cylinder to the hydraulic drive and control system of such scoop loader for controlled swinging movement of the boom arm about said pivot pin, a winch on the boom, a hydraulic motor operatively connected to the winch, hydraulic hose connections for operatively connecting the winch motor to the hydraulic drive and control system of such scoop loader for controlled operation of the winch, a hoisting cable wound on the winch and running over the free end of the boom arm, and means on the free end of the cable for hoisting engagement with objects to be mam'pulated by the boom.

3. A boom for attaching to a scoop loader having a hydraulic drive and control system thereon, such scoop loader having also a vertically movable bucket arm thereon with a scoop bucket pivotally mounted on the outer end of the bucket arm for forward and rearward tilting movement about a horizontal axis, the bucket arm and the bucket being operatively connected to the hydraulic drive and control system for selective actuation thereby; said boom comprising a boom base, means for detachably securing the boom base to such scoop bucket for movement therewith, a boom arm pivotally mounted on the boom base for lateral swinging movement about an axis substantially at right angles to the axis of bucket tilting movement, a first hydraulically driven means for operatively connecting the boom arm to an element secured to the bucket, hydraulic connections for operatively connecting the first hydraulically driven means to the hydraulic drive and control system of such scoop loader for controlled swinging movement of the boom arm about its axis of pivotal connection to the boom base, a winch on the boom, second hydraulically driven means operatively connected to the winch, hydraulic connections for operatively connecting the winch motor to the hydraulic drive and control system of such scoop loader for controlled operation of the winch, a hoisting cable wound on the winch and running over the free end of the boom arm, and means on the free end of the cable for hoisting engagement with objects to be manipulated by the boom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,599,991 Hegre June 10, 1952 2,674,500 Hukari Apr. 6, 1954 2,831,592 Syracuse Apr. 22, 1958 

1. A BOOM ATTACHMENT FOR A POWER DRIVEN SCOOP LOADER HAVING A HYDRAULIC DRIVE AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREON, AND HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE AND TILTABLE SCOOP BUCKET THEREON AND IN HYDRAULICALLY DRIVEN RELATION WITH SAID HYDRAULIC DRIVE AND CONTROL MEANS; SAID BOOM COMPRISING A BASE PORTION, MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING THE BOOM BASE PORTION WITHIN THE OPEN SIDE OF THE SCOOP BUCKET OF SUCH VECHICLE FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, A BOOM ARM PIVOTED FOR LATERAL SWINGING MOVEMENT ON AN OUTWARD PORTION OF SAID BOOM BASE PORTION, A HYDRAULIC CYLINDER OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTING THE BOOM BASE MEMBER TO THE BOOM ARM FOR LATERAL SWINGING MOVEMEMT OF THE BOOM ARM RELATIVE TO THE BOOM BASE PORTION, A WINCH ON THE BOOM ARM, HYDRAULIC ACTUATING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE WINCH, A HOISTING CABLE WOUND ON THE WINCH AND WITH A FREE END THEREOF RUNNING OVER THE FREE END OF THE BOOM ARM, MEANS ON THE FREE END OF THE CABLE FOR HOISTING ENGAGEMENT WITH OBJECTS TO BE MANIPULATED BY THE BOOM, AND HYDRAULIC CONNECTIONS ON SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER AND ON SAID WINCH ACTUATING MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER AND SAID HYDRAULIC WINCH ACTUATING MEANS TO THE HYDRAULIC DRIVE AND CONTROL SYSTEM OF THE SCOOP LOADER FOR CONTROLLED ACTUATION THEREBY. 